"I think there will be bills passed," Bush said at a talk at 92nd Street Y in New York City. "It won't be one comprehensive bill. I think it will probably be in late spring, where there's a little bit of a window before the election starts in earnest. I hope so, I hope that's the case."

"I've talked to Speaker Boehner and he's totally committed to this," Bush said. "But he needs to find a way to get enough of the support."

The former governor defended immigrants, calling them a "catalytic converter for sustained economic growth."

"I think a lot of people view immigration as, by supporting immigrants, you're taking away from me," Bush said. "And I would argue the opposite is the case. ... If we have this narrow perspective of, 'We're not going to grow anymore and the pie is set and that's it, so I'm going to fight for mine,' we're doomed. That's it. Our country doesn't work well in a static kind of environment. Our country works well when it's dynamic and aspirational."

Thane Rosenbaum, the moderator for the book discussion, described Bush as a "moderate," the author joked that he felt he was "attacked."

"Look, I'm a conservative and I'm a practicing one, not a talk-about-it one," Bush said. "I would put my record up against anybody that's in Congress right now."

Bush's wide-ranging discussion with Fordham law professor Thane Rosenbaum also touched on education reform, today's political climate, and the future of the Republican Party, among other topics. Bush, who has been mentioned as a potential 2016 presidential candidate recently, said the time is not right for him to make a decision on whether to make a bid for the White House.